A Global Effort to Protect Life: The UN Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons
by John Whitehead Honduras became, at the end of October, the fiftieth nation to ratify the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty, which was finalized in the summer of 2017, has been signed by 84 nations. Now that 50 of those nations have ratified it, the treaty will officially enter…
Summary: Peace & Life Referendums
compiled by Rachel MacNair For details on the referendums and explanations of why consistent-lifers have an interest in them, see: Peace and Life Referendums . Good News No Abortion “Right” in State Constitution The Louisiana “Love Life Amendment” passed with flying colors – 63% of the vote. Formally, it’s the “No Right to Abortion…
Fratelli Tutti – Consistent-Life Excerpts
Since Catholics in the United States have been observing October as Respect Life Month, we share excerpts from Pope Francis’ recent encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti (a print version is available), touching on each of the threats to life mentioned in Consistent Life’s mission statement. Compiled by Julia Smucker 18. Some parts of our…
Catastrophe by Mistake: The Button and the Danger of Accidental Nuclear War
by John Whitehead The most likely way for the United States to end up in a nuclear war today is not because of an aggressive nuclear attack by Russia or North Korea or some other nation. Nor is it likely to be because the United States launches such an aggressive attack on another nuclear-armed nation….
Death Penalty and other Killing: The Destructive Effect on Us
by Fr. Jim Hewes I have opposed the death penalty for years. My reasoning stems from a larger perspective than just the death penalty. It focuses not on the circumstances surrounding the crime or the killer, but the effect of our actions on those that approve of or carry out an execution. Anguish In…
Dialog on Life Issues: Avoiding Some Obstacles to Communication
by John Whitehead An essential part of consistent life ethic advocacy is learning how to talk about the ethic or specific life issues to people with differing views. In a recent post for us, Josh Brahm of the Equal Rights Institute (ERI) offered for constructive dialog. I offer further thoughts, partly inspired by ERI’s work…
A Lawyer’s Turnaround on Baby Doe with Her Own Down Syndrome Baby
by Sarah Terzo Janine Steck Huffman has a child with Down syndrome. But years before she gave birth to her son Nash, she was partly responsible for the legal starvation death of Baby Doe, another child with Down syndrome. Baby Doe was born in Bloomington, Indiana, in April 1982. Besides Down syndrome, he had…
Is the Death Penalty Unethical?
by Hannah Cox Is the death penalty unethical? For many years, this was where the debate around capital punishment began (and often ended). While it’s an important question, especially for those concerned with human ethics or coming from a religious background, it is not necessarily the proper place to start the discussion. This is a…
Police Brutality Against Protesters
by Sarah Terzo In the news there have been multiple cases of police brutality against Black men and women and even Black preborn children. Those who’ve protested these outrages have also been targeted for brutality. See, for example,In one week there were at least 9 instances of police using excessive force caught on camera…
Two Practical Dialogue Tips for Changing More Minds about Abortion
by Josh Brahm Editor’s Note: while the author applies this to abortion, the same principles apply to dialogue on any issue. I was standing in the exhibit hall in front of our booth at the Students for Life National Conference a few years ago when a student walked up to me. He had just heard…